UK cleantech innovation challenges: programme overview

The UK cleantech innovation challenges were announced in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in October 2025, and launched in July 2026. The programme will launch a series of innovation challenges which will set stretching, timebound and measurable ambitions which can be achieved through innovation. Through the programme, government will engage across industry, facilitate activities to support companies with innovative solutions and seek to create enabling policy environments which help reduce barriers to innovation and create market demand.

The UK cleantech innovation challenges aim to:

• support UK innovation to act as a catalyst to grow clean energy industries, especially in areas where the UK has a competitive advantage
• address the areas of greatest need for innovation to support current and future carbon budgets
• provide support in areas where no similar initiatives or mechanisms already exist

This programme overview introduces the initiative and explains the approach to developing and delivering the challenges. 

The first challenge to be launched was the UK carbon management innovation challenge in July 2026. Additional challenges are expected to be launched across 2026 and 2027.